Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Pat Ahearne is still pitching? I remember his tortuous start against the Yankees before they got good!

Ahearne’s view of baseball is decidedly international.

“I’ve warmed up before a game in Caracas where troops came out with guard dogs and stationed themselves all along the warning track from the dugout to the foul poles for the entire game,” he said.

“That’s just for crowd control because the people get so passionate and crazy. The energy and excitement is the best I’ve seen, and I’ve pitched in the big leagues briefly.”

Briefly in the majors was four games with the Detroit Tigers in 1995. He had three starts and an 11.70 earned-run average.

...Ahearne has been a coach-player. In addition, he’s been pitching coach for the junior and senior national teams. He helped the juniors finish second in the European Championships. This year, he’s manager-pitcher for Kotlarka in Prague in the Czech Extraliga.

“There’s been some improvement,” he said. “But it’s still baseball and the guys are starting to get it.”

It’s baseball and Ahearne gets it.

His story is unique because of his Euro assignments. Beyond that, he’s a baseball lifer cut from the same cloth as Red Adams, Monty Basgall, Carroll Beringer and Danny Ozark, the solid men with no or limited major league playing time who were the solid coaches for the Dodgers for so many years for Walt Alston and Tommy Lasorda.

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